Baby wolverines born in Scotland for the first time

THE pair are the first wolverine kits born in Scotland at Highland Wildlife Park and is only the third time the vulnerable species has ever been born in the UK.

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A baby wolverine born in February with its mother, at Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie

TWO baby wolverines have made their debut at a Highland zoo.

The pair have begun exploring outside their den at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie after mother Tina gave birth in February.

They are the first wolverine kits born in Scotland and it is only the third time the vulnerable species has ever been born and reared in the UK.

Keeper Douglas Richardson said they are keeping close to their mother but visitors should be able to see more of the animals in the coming weeks as they gain confidence in their new environment.

He said: "Tina, their mother, is fiercely protective of the new kits and they never stray far from her.

"The kits have not yet been sexed, but as soon as they are keepers will start to think of names for the two youngsters."

There are currently about 2,300 wolverines left in the wild in Europe and just 130 in captivity.

They are the largest member of the Mustelidae family, which includes stoats and badgers, and give their name to the X-Men character played by Hugh Jackman in the popular film franchise.

Two baby wolverines have made their debut at the Highland Wildlife Park

Their young are born blind and covered in white fur, but soon develop a coat like their parents.

Keepers believe the kits were born around February 7 and spent their first two months tucked away in their mother's den.

Vickie Larkin from the wildlife park said: "We were hoping that Tina would give birth this year as we had observed mating last summer.

"More recently, we hadn't seen Tina out in her enclosure for some time, which is actually a good indicator that she had possibly given birth and was nursing kits in the den.

"We were just about to check when I saw a little kit dart from one den to another."

Mr Richardson said: "The European population of wolverines is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, so the birth of these two kits will help to bolster the managed population within the overarching breeding programme for this increasingly threatened species."

Tina arrived at the park from Boras Zoo in Sweden in February 2015 and father Xale, from Helsinki Zoo, has been at the park since 2013.